I learned to embroider when I was a kid, when everyone was really into cross stitch (remember the '80s?). Eventually, I migrated to surface embroidery, teaching myself with whatever I could get my hands on...read more

I learned to embroider when I was a kid, when everyone was really into cross stitch (remember the '80s?). Eventually, I migrated to surface embroidery, teaching myself with whatever I could get my hands on...read more

Bead Embroidery Funky Mushroom and a Deadline

No one has ever claimed that hand embroidery is a wicked-fast enterprise. When you do something by hand, it just takes time.

But golly, sometimes, progress is much slower than we think it should be. Sometimes, it’s hard to get back into the groove of a project, and this can slow us down.

Last week, that’s how I felt about Late Harvest. I should be farther along than I am. But I couldn’t seem to make myself sit still and stitch. And it seemed like a chore to pick it up and get going again. And so I purposely avoided it. I worked on other things and took a Late Harvest hiatus.

After a little break from the project, picking it up again was easier. And by selecting one element to stitch and focusing just on it, my excitement was rejuvenated. Sometimes, a break is a good thing!

Over the weekend, I tackled this one small element – which I call The Funky Mushroom.

I’m pretty sure it’s not supposed to be a mushroom. I’m pretty sure it’s a stylized floral element of some sort, with the petals of the flower flowing downwards.

But to me, it will always be a Funky Mushroom.

The dome of the element is worked in long and short stitch with two shades of burgundy. The two “skirts” are padded first with stem stitch, to give them a bit of lift, and then worked with alternating lines of beads and bullion knots.

The base of the ‘shroom is a woven trellis filling outlined with beads, with three long and short stitch leaves clustered below.

These long and short stitch leaves correspond with these stumpwork leaves:

The stumpwork leaves will be fixed on the cluster of leaves at the base of the Funky Mushroom, to give it dimension.

Can’t wait to get to that point!

Setting Deadlines

And that brings me to the topic of deadlines.

This is what I have to finish, before I can add the stumpwork elements to Late Harvest and call the project completed:

There is one more large beaded floral element (on the far left), six large long and short stitch leaves with beaded veins, five smaller leaves, two small flowers, a few thick beaded vines, and some tendrils here and there.

The time-consumers are the large long and short stitch leaves.

But, taken overall, with the grapes completed, this half of the project has fewer elements to it than the first half, which you can see below:

Now that I’m back to stitching on Late Harvest with fervor, I think it’s time to set a deadline and work towards it. As much as I love working on this particular project, it needs to come to a successful end – relatively soon!

Taking all things into consideration, I’m setting a deadline of mid-June to end Late Harvest.

That’s quite a bit of time, but I’m working on other things besides this one project, and there are plenty of other distractions this time of year, too.

I think six weeks is a fair estimate. If I can finish it sooner, great! But June 15 is my “official deadline.”

Do Deadlines Diminish Joy?

When I finally bring myself to setting a deadline on a project like this, it really focuses me. I end up getting more done on all fronts, because I want to make sure I get in my time with the deadline project.

And while it may seem to take some of the joy out of stitching, it actually makes the project even more exciting, because I’m challenging myself. There’s some motivation there that wasn’t there before.

I’m also super excited to move on to the next project that I’m going to share with you. And I can’t do that until I finish this one.

So, no, the fun in stitching the rest of Late Harvest won’t be diminished with a deadline. Instead, it will be a bit intensified.

Do You Set Deadlines?

Do you ever set deadlines when you are stitching a project just for fun? Do you think stitchers should use deadlines to focus their stitching, or do you think doing so would take the pleasure out of a project and put undo pressure on you? And if you do set deadlines, do you always stick to them no matter what, or do you allow yourself flexibility?

In short, would you find deadlines helpful or hindering in your stitching pursuits?

(58) Comments

Lovely to see this develop, and the funky mushroom does indeed look like, well, a funky mushroom 🙂

I’m glad setting deadlines works for you by concentrating the mind; I’m afraid they never work for me unless they are “real” deadlines – you know, the wedding/christening/class/publication date is the 12th of May and I’d better get the thing done by then. If I set deadlines myself, knowing that if I don’t make it nothing bad will happen, they just sit there on my calendar/to do list/sticky note and get ignored…

Yes, I sometimes set deadlines on bigger projects. I’ve found it is not always an incentive for me to dangle another project in front of myself: “Finish this, and you can work on that”. Sometimes I have to give myself a deadline. Love that shot of the project, Mary. Wow — what beautiful work you do.

My professional life is 100% deadline-driven, short-turnaround, high stress team projects, that make no allowance for missed submission dates.

Needlework and knitting are my havens from such things – my “it will be done when it’s done” shelter for preserving sanity. In fact, I gave up designing knitwear for professional publication because imposing a deadline on finishing sucked every bit of joy out of the project.

Now that’s not to say I don’t on occasion work to a projected date of delivery, but I do give myself huge margins of error for those – like starting the sampler for Younger Daughter to take with her to college in September of her junior year – two years before her expected date of departure. Or knitting baby presents “on spec” and folding them away against future need (eventually another baby WILL be born).

YMMV of course. You may need hard and fast dates to stay on target and complete your piece. For me the stress-mitigating journey is far more important than the finished work. So if I finish, great. And if dawdle my way to the end, or have multiple projects going at the same time that’s OK, too.

Deadlines are so helpful! I need a push now and then, otherwise I start on a new project ,and let the older one sit by!
Sometimes I get an idea for a new technique, I Must try!
Often, they sit unfinished in a corner, till I find the will to finish or throw it out.
This week I am officially unemployed,at a job I loved!
So I will be able to finish the two unfinished quilts, and start fresh on the embroidery projects, I have been putting off.
I am so inspired by you Mary!
Thanks!

Deadlines I make unless holidays and even then seem too elastic so I don’t always make it. Deadlines I have to make, imposed by others I like because they get done. Guess I need more self discipline.
I do have a quick question, does one of your videos show how to “join”stitches? I have been trying to outline with the hungarian chain stitch, but can tell when one thread stops,runs out and I have to begin the next one. Thanks for your blog. have learned a lot.

I fall in and out of love with projects. Sometimes boredom sets in. Exciting new projects with beautiful threads beckon. I have one piece I’ve been stitching for probably 15 years. A neighbor gave me an original hand painted Berlin work chart dated 1786. Very dense and slow going…maybe by the end of summer…… But my friend Mary Corbet always has something new and fun that I want to try.

I’m sorry I missed out on this from the beginning but can probably locate the stepped out process if I keep poking about. I got my book!
I’m interested on the how to’s on the grapes- – -I have an old project that I only work on in Fall that could be just the thing for the grapes in it. I was thinking of putting different shades of purple and lavender jewels in the centers- – -As to topic, I like to take big projects and break them into smaller segments and then challenge myself to complete them in a day if there is a deadline. I enjoy that because I can see it moving forward but not being overtaxing. When I get to the last couple of steps though, it feels like someone else wants to push me to just complete it and go beyond my little goal. I do it but it’s not as satisfying because I feel like it’s not my best effort. I love your positive attitude though of it not diminishing the joy. I think I’ll just stand my ground when that push comes to shove. I wonder if I’ll remember that on the next one?

Wow the first half of the Late Harvest is beautiful, it’s coming along nicely. I like the funky mushroom and can’t wait to see the project develop. As to setting deadlines it depends on the project if it’s for a wedding/birthday or other celebrations then a deadline is necessary, but if it’s a project I’m working on for my self then I don’t bother with deadlines. I’m looking forward to seeing your next project. Thanks for sharing with us your progress on the late Harvest project.

I do deadlines only once in a while, usually because the item will be a gift. More often I set a finish as a goal before I allow myself to start a particular project. I am NOT saying I don’t have a little pile of WIP’s; but for instance I am in the middle of one very large piece I have been working on for a few years now. And I have a beautiful Heaven & Earth chart (also large) that as much as I am dying to start it, I won’t because I know myself and my current large project will just sit.
And by the way, I think your funky mushroom might have been intended as a very stylized echinacea bloom.

Yes, I sometimes set deadlines for myself to keep projects moving. Sometimes because I want something by a particular holiday, sometimes just to get something finished. I also do the ‘I can’t start the new one until the other one is finished’ mantra for motivation. Usually I have at least 4 or 5 things in progress (at least) so it helps me concentrate on something to see it through. Of course, some projects are just stitched and finished whenever – can’t have deadlines on everything!

I don’t exactly set deadlines for myself on my stitching projects unless it is for a special occasion. I am awesome at beginning projects, not so good at finishing them…..look a rabbit…
However, I have stopped letting myself start a new project until I finish the one I am working on. When I came across your site, I was already working on a huge floral cross stitch from the Scarlet Quince. The pattern is 28 pages and I have completed about 6 of them. It is huge. There are so many great things on your site that I want to do. I had never seen embroidery like this before and I’m excited to begin. I have already purchased supplies, books, and patterns. As soon as I finish the monster, I’ll begin. Love your site. Keep up the awesome work of bringing such beautiful stitching to others.

I don’t normally comment, but as soon as I saw the “funky mushroom” I thought, this is an Echinacea. From the colours you have chosen, probably Echinacea purpurea, or Purple coneflower. The very same stuff you take to fight a cold.

Thanks for an excellent website. I don’t stitch yet, but your site inspires me and I hope to take it up in the future.

Hi Mary,
We all get into creative run arounds. Back in the day, when the internet didn’t exist, we were satisfied with what we found in our neighborhood stores or mail order catalogues. Now, it is a whole different ballgame. We venture on line to every part of the world and see all the wonderful ideas, techniques, materials, and if it is French, look out.
So, now we have the “I gotta try that” mentality.This is why our focus on one project is lost.
A break from a challenging and time consuming project is okay. Let it go for a while. You will return with a renewed vigor for the beautiful work and effort you put into Late Harvest. After all, it is titled Late Harvest.

I set deadlines for myself not only for needlework but household chores as well. Otherwise I put things off and get sidetracked. Sure I miss deadlines but they do keep me more on schedule. I also bribe myself to finish a project and then my reward is time to do something fun
I love the project, your work is spectacular

The only time I set deadlines is when I have a deadline to meet. For instance, a very good friend of my niece is getting married on June 11th. I am doing a wedding sampler for her, and want to give it to the couple at their wedding. Therefore, I had to set a deadline that was at least 3 weeks before the wedding so that I had time to get it framed. I am also stitching on Christmas ornaments for the grandkids and that also means a deadline, but in that case, the deadline could mean that I never get them finished in time because I will look at them and say ‘oh i have plenty of time’ and then it will the Christmas and I won’t be done. So for the ornaments

Love the “funky mushroom!” I don’t normally make deadlines on stitching projects but if I am finding it is sitting unattended for awhile, I will set a “goal” of an hour of stitching on it per day, or whatever will work. That way I see some progress toward the conclusion and this motivates me…especially the closer to finishing I get!

Deadlines. (I find that I don’t meet my deadlines lately like I would like to. It seems that everything takes so much longer than I thought it would.) In the past, I have loved deadlines. They really kept me on task and I did get them met. Here is my problem – a piece of embroidery I am working on becomes “an old friend” that I hate to say goodbye to. Without a deadline, I will drag the finish on and on. Correspondence Courses with deadlines are very good for me and I get finished by the deadline. Self-imposed deadlines are a little harder to meet. If I didn’t have so many projects going at once, I think I would be much better about meeting deadlines. Alas, I am happier with more projects going, because then I can do what appeals to me that day. I often set a weekend deadline for how much I want to have done that weekend. I am pretty good at meeting those deadlines.

I have two smocked garments to make by June 1. I have been procrastinating and stitching other things. Here’s hoping those come up to the top of my mental list in time to meet that deadline.

I can usually be flexible with deadlines, but just now I am doing a CAL(crochet along) and with friend just a bit behind after perusing and asking questions about it before she catches up, I feel I must keep up. Also some knitting for baby twins due this summer. Very fine 2 ply yarn.
(Not my twins!!)

I see what you mean by the mushrooms, but as it has leaves, well, that does rule out the fungus. But it does look like one. I rarely set deadlines, but I do find they work well when I have them. They do concentrate the mind wonderfully! Your project is coming along beautifully, and I hope you can meet your deadline.

In the past I was often finishing a piece to enter in Long Island Fair and had that as a deadline, but generally not.

However, my EGA chapter started work on a Petite Project from our National last fall and I was determined that the piece would be on our tree. Well, yes, it was on the tree, but not when it was set up. I did need to assemble it after the tree was up – but the stitching was done and we tend to put up our tree early.

I have a piece which I have been working on – and off – for the last 10 years. I got the idea for the piece at a quilt show (which is how I know I started it in 2006). We had bed bugs which stopped me from any stitching in dealing with same and attempting to reassemble the house and general ennui and also being overwhelmed by the assortment of started projects. A few years ago I decided I had to go back to stitching and get pieces done. I picked this piece to go back to and worked on it (with other smaller pieces in between). As the start of 2016 approached it dawned on me that I was almost finished with the piece. I set a goal to finish it before we went to the same quilt show this year. I would have made the goal if we had not had to go to the show a day early due to impending weather. Instead I finished it that night after returning from the show and my husband is expected to frame it so it can be entered at this year’s Fair.

I feel that there are times when deadlines are very useful. I am a member of a small group in a small country town, the group coordinator, for the want of a term, has suggested to us that we should all write a list of things that we would like to complete by July of this year. For me this has worked remarkably well. I know have a growing list of UFO’s that I would like to complete, not necessarily by July but soonish. Since I started my list around mid April I have completed four UFO’s and am steadily working through the list, in no particular order, but boy, does it feel good to complete articles that have been sitting around.

When I see the mushroom I see more of an odd jelly fish. Or perhaps a mini octopus. I just saw a stubby little octopus video on Facebook last week. Maybe that’s why it sticks in my mind.

As for deadlines, generally I don’t. I will plan ahead for a birthday card that I’m making for someone and there’s a deadline involved there. But I try not to stress about it. All other stitching is being done just because I like the design.

The one thing I just don’t do any more (I tried it once) is have multiple projects going on at once. I see you do that and many people like to switch around. But all I see is a lot of projects collecting dust for months because I can’t get them done in a reasonable time. It’s discouraging.

Mary, I do set deadlines but my favorite thing is stitching a project with a group. It seems to give each of us an impetus to finish the project in a timely manner. There are so many waiting in the wings!

Funny you should mention deadlines! I’m starting a PhD, part of which will be the construction of an embroidery piece over the 6 to 8 years the study will take. One of the first things I have to do is provide my supervisors with milestones; essentially a series of deadlines that I will have to stick to.
I have never really worked to deadlines and when I’ve had to (finish the gift for the special occasion or the fete), I’ve taken offence at the imposition. Like kbsalazar, my work life is all about deadlines and expectations and pressure from others to do something or be somewhere according to imposed timelines. My craft is supposed to be my savior and not be adding to the stress!
Guess I’ll learn to work with deadlines if I want the PhD!

the Late Harvest is looking lovely.
I like deadlines as I am a goal oriented person.

last year I had a big project – an Alphabet for the birth of a friends child & as I got closer to the date I would set mini goals to keep me on target.
The hardest part with a new project though is understanding how long each part might take and allowing “life” time.

But then I do have other projects which will get done when I am ready, and not before.

Yes I do set deadlines for some projects. Otherwise I would never finish some things. However I am ashamed to say that I often fall short and so there are a few pips (projects in progress) in my cupboard for which I have lost enthusiasm. Your comments have encouraged me to get them out again.

I do contract work to deadlines and stitch for pleasure, so no, no deadlines. I do set target dates, though – these give me plenty of leeway and there are no repercussions if things slide a bit. What keeps me approximately on track is limiting the number of WIP I have at one time. If I’m working on something big I need something small, or a succession of somethings small, to keep me engaged, but more than two WIP and I lose focus.

Funny you should bring up deadlines! I’ve just realized this past year that they really do work for me…Right now I’m beavering away on a project that MUST be in the mail by the end of July. It’s coming along (hopefully) ahead of schedule so far. Just knowing that I made that commitment to someone last December has kept me at it through some frustrating moments. Now if only I could make that sort of time oriented commitment to myself!

good question to ponder! I do both and most of the time I stick to it. My biggest downfall is that I finish the stitching, but do not get around to do the putting together. This is when I make a deadline for myself. I have to finish those projects waiting to be framed, etc before I let myself start a new project. Most of the time this works for me. I also use deadlines when it is a project I committed myself to, but find I do not enjoy it. For this issue I set a deadline for a portion of the project and then let myself take a break and do something fun. I continue this way until I finish the project. It is a great feeling to finish a project and even a better feeling to do something new.

If I’m just starting a project, I don’t set a deadline (unless it’s a wedding/baby gift type situation). Once I get close to the end, I’ll make an estimate on how long it should take to finish based on the previous week/s of work.

And the bigger the project, the less likely I would be tempted to set a specific deadline. I typically hope for a ‘large’ project to take about a year, small a few hours to a week, medium maybe 1-2 months.

Deadlines don’t motivate me, so I only set deadlines for projects that require them. Only 2 things come to mind: 1)Anything that has a back-by-Christmas deadline for the professional finisher. The closest I ever came was half an hour before shop closing. 2)Any item intended as a gift. Wedding samplers ARE finished & framed on time. Baby samplers are completed ahead, only awaiting the little one’s arrival to add the name & date.

Deadlines… that’s a topic I wish I would have approached a couple of decades ago. I now practice not so much a “deadline”..such as…”project must be completed by…” but I do make certain I finish the project, even if it is now boring me to tears. Like many of the gals (when I was younger) I’d start a project and soon would be distracted. I can’t begin to tell you how many UFO’s I now have. I am now spending precious time the last few years trying to complete them… SO if I start work on a project… I finish it… No excuses… but to put an actual deadline on it…well life just has a way of getting in the way once in awhile, death in the family, a personal health emergency, health emergency of family members… some times at my age these sort of things can’t be avoided and yup, it stops projects temporarily… but once the emergency is over I get back to the project at hand and stick with it until it’s done. I no longer allow myself to start a new or otherwise any project until the current one is completed… so that gives me incentive. With this discipline I have actually managed to get old projects done that I didn’t think I ever would. I alter between an old unfinished one then allow myself a new one… It seems to be working well for me.
There is a real sense of accomplishment to getting these UFO’s done.

I like deadlines, and set by someone else. I’m teaching 2 classes tomorrow so must have my class notes and samples in place. Beginning quilting’s easy since I’ve taught it since 2005. The second class is the challenge. It’s a mini workshop in embroidery stitches for a crazy quilt club. The members are always looking for something new. And, I have both beginners and very advanced crazy quilt makers in the group. It’s wonderful what they accomplish! I’m in my mid 70’s and still love doing this. Hope to be going strong for a long time still.

The awful thing is that, unless there IS a deadline, I don’t get much done! Blogging helps to motivate me at times, ‘cos I want to have something to post about, but at others I don’t even care…. Generally I need an externally imposed deadline like someone’s wedding, anniversary, a show or a day when I’m going to see someone. That’s why my big cross stitch is dragging, but I’ve completed 2 baby knits (one embroidered), almost finished 2 baby quilts and have made a valiant start on a wedding gift due in 20 days. If there’d been no due date, these things would very likely not have got far. I guess I need a practical reason to make things, much as I enjoy the process. A self imposed deadline wouldn’t work, I wouldn’t take it seriously!!

I set deadlines – yes. Do I meet them? Hardly ever if I’ve set them. If it’s an external deadline (e.g. someone’s wedding or retirement) then I stitch fervently to meet it – and breathe a sigh of relief when the project is finished. By my own deadlines? Nope. But I still set them, to try to motivate me 🙂

I set myself deadlines sometimes because I will meander on a project or start a new one and then I have 20 half finished projects laying all over.
I have a question on the grapes are those rivioli’s crystals? and if so as a bead embroiderer I am wondering how you are holding them down is that with thread or beads I couldn’t tell. In bead embroidery it is typically done with beads to make the bezel. I am curious if you have tutorial up on how you did that, as I have been working on a project that is marrying both bead embroidery and regular embroidery. It might be something fun to add to my toolbox 🙂

Hi, Mickey – those are flat back ravoli crystals, and they’re attached using buttonhole stitch with thread (no beads), though you could add beads to a buttonhole stitch in larger crystals, I think. These are pretty small! You can find the instructions in Hazel’s book, Crewel Intentions. I don’t have a tutorial here on the site, but I did describe the method in this post: https://www.needlenthread.com/2016/02/embroidering-flat-back-crystals-onto-late-harvest.html

This is lovely Mary. Sometimes when on treatment, we experience “chemo fog”. It makes lots of activities and brain power become sluggish. Don’t worry about it. Be kind to yourself because it’s not a permanent state. Your followers understand because many of us have been there. Do what you can to stitch if you feel like it. If not, read, watch TV or whatever you can to relax and let the treatment do it’s job. That’s your job right now.
Fondly,
MaryAnn

I set deadlines when the project is for someone or I need it for a show.Setting a deadline helps me keep my focus and stops me from getting carried away with embellishing especially when it’s a pattern I am developing. It is hard to know when to stop(crazy quilting)so I do it in stages with a project completion date. If I am good with following the schedule there is a little extra time to add something more at the end or I reward myself with a little shopping trip and some new thread.

Hi Mary
I have always made deadlines, but started embroidering again after years of raising the children, just to relax and relearn how to be still and relaxed. So I try to avoid deadlines so that I can really get lost in my projects for the sheer pleasure of being creative without pressure!
Your work is so precise and beautiful, it is a pleasure to read your column and it greet each new one with glee! P!ease don’t stop!!

The moment I saw the element I thought coneflower. We have a lot of them here in Texas in the spring time. They are often found as wildflowers and many people plant them in their gardens. As to deadlines, I agree with kbsalazar. I do this because it gives me pleasure. I like watching the embroidery (or any of the needlework that I do) unfold and grow. I have too many deadlines at work. The only deadlines I observe is if the the project is going to be a gift for a particular event. I get annoyed when people (always people who don’t do any needlework or other craft) ask me how long did it take. I do not time myself and I don’t care how long it takes. It is the doing that is important to me.

In the workplace, I had years of multiple, overlapping deadlines. Even now, in retirement, I have deadlines in my volunteer job (editing and producing a quarterly lace magazine).
Deadlines can kick-start the adrenaline and spur us into action to produce a product or outcome. But for me, embroidery is the other side of the coin. With embroidery the main focus is the process. Like making needlelace, creating embroidery is a very slow process. I welcome that opportunity to slow down.
BTW – It is wonderful to watch the progress on this project and see each step of the process. Much more fun than watching any epic movie or TV drama!